In 2009, the global theme for World Blood Donor Day (WBDD) will place a renewed emphasis on improving the safety and sufficiency of blood supplies through the achievement of 100 percent voluntary non- remunerated donation of blood and blood components.

Sponsoring organizations say

World Blood Donor Day (WBDD) 14 June 2009

the very broad theme is designed to provide an opportunity for all countries to focus on the following specific challenges:

Advocates that countries that have not yet achieved 100 per cent voluntary blood donation should refocus on innovative new approaches to community participation and youth involvement and develop national blood donor programmes in order to increase the number of voluntary blood donors, phase out family/ replacement donation and eliminate paid donation.

Calls on countries that have already achieved 100 percent voluntary blood donation to intensify their efforts to increase the number of regular donors in order to maintain a stable pool of donors who will meet their country’s requirements for blood and blood components at all times, in routine and

Encourages countries that have developed mechanisms for the procurement of blood products to establish cooperation with other countries to secure adequate supplies of blood products based on voluntary donations: for example, on WBDD 2009, some countries may choose to focus on self-sufficiency through voluntary plasma donation.

The global event for WBDD, which is celebrated on 14 June 2009, will be hosted by the Australian Government in close association with the Australian Red Cross and Australian Red Cross Blood Service. The WBDD celebration will take place during the Australian Year of the Blood Donor, which aims to enhance awareness of the need for ongoing and increased blood donation as well as the recruitment of new donors.

WBDD will be celebrated throughout the world to create wider awareness of the need for safe blood for transfusion and the importance of blood donation.

World Blood Donor Day focuses on the life-saving gift of voluntary donors whose donations are given purely for altruistic reasons. As more and more countries achieve the goal of 100 percent voluntary non-remunerated blood donation — 54 countries in 2006, compared with 39 in 2002 — there is growing appreciation of the vital role of voluntary donors who donate blood on a regular basis. Not only are they the safest blood

donors, they are also the foundation of sustainable national blood supplies that are sufficient to meet the needs of all patients requiring transfusion. Accompanying the increase in voluntary blood donors throughout the world is an increase in the number of countries which produce blood components, including red cells, platelets and plasma, to meet the specific requirements of patients.

World Blood Donor Day is jointly sponsored by four core agencies: the World Health Organization, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Federation of Blood Donor Organizations and the International Society of Blood Transfusion.

The joint website of the core agencies (www.wbdd.org) and the WHO webpage (www.who.int/ worldblooddonorday) will contain the World Blood Donor Day brochure and poster as well as additional resources, including the WBDD 2009 logotype and news about events. ADRP members are invited to contribute by sharing your ideas, resource materials and plans for activities at national and local levels through these websites.